 Denison, Texas  HISTORY  The Sunday Gazetteer Sunday, June 12, 1904 Robert S. Stevens MKT Railroad & Denison Town Company Not every one in Denison knows that the Stevens School is named for the philanthropist who donated to the people of this city the block for the Park, and the land for Oakwood Cemetery. Perhaps the influence of the generous donor sways the students and teachers in the school which bears the name "Stevens," at least that school always leads in movements which tend to foster patriotism. The Daily Phoenix Columbia, South Carolina February 6, 1873 pg. 3 Inaugurating a Cemetery - A resident of Denison, Texas, writes as follows: "This is the liveliest town in these parts. Only 6 months old, it has been built up by the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway, which has its terminus here. The Houston and Texas Central will be along soon, and there will be rail communication from St. Louis to Galveston. We have 5,000 inhabitants, and we have hotels, stores, churches, grog shops, two parsonages, one gambling house, and a town hall. We have been wanting a grave-yard. Yesterday a man died, and this afternoon everybody will turn out to inaugurate the new cemetery. We though we should have to import a corpse to start it, but this fellow happened to die and save us the expense. Another one is sick of a disease he brought from Missouri, and the doctor says we had better hold over the other chap a day or so, and make one job of it. Don't think we'll do it, though, as we want the grave-yard started anyhow." The Denison Herald Sunday, January 10, 1993 CEMETERY GROUNDS TO BE DIVIDED UP Compiled by Rose Englutt from The Denison Daily News, May 26, 1875 At a meeting of the Cemetery Committee, Monday night, the following gentlemen were elected to whom the cemetery grounds will be deeded: Jo Perry, Mr. Sheeder, John Nevins, Geo. Dexter and L. Eppstein. The gentlemen are to divide the grounds, setting apart a portion to each of the religious and benevolent societies of Denison. These societies are each to select a person to represent them, to whom their portion of the ground will be deeded by the above 5 gentlemen. This will secure to each organization a clear title to their portion of the cemetery. The Denison Press Saturday, June 5, 1937 pg. 1 DENISON 62-50-35 Years Ago by Dulce Murray June 5, 1875 - The cemetery committee appointed a few nights ago has made the following apportionment of the cemetery grounds, on the basis of 10 acres: to the Protestant societies, together, 4 acres; Catholics, 2 acres; Israelites, 1 acre; Masons and Odd Fellows, each 1/2 acre; Negroes, 1 acres and 1 acre for a potter's field. Denison Daily News Tuesday, July 4, 1876 CITY CEMETERY Andrew Schoeff has been appointed city sexton and grave digger. Parties desiring his services can find him at his dwelling on the north side of the cemetery. When services are needed, prompt attention is assured, and charges will always be reasonable. Andrew Schoeff June 15 On December 23, 1878 Councilman Raynall and Officer Al Hall visited the local cemetery; they discovered that the fence was in a very dilapidated condition, having rotted away in several places. (The Daily News, Tuesday, December 24, 1878, pg. 4) The Sunday Gazetteer Sunday, December 18, 1892 pg. 4 OAKWOOD CEMETERY FENCE The ladies of the Oakwood Cemetery Improvement Association are certainly deserving of much praise and credit from the people of Denison. For the past ten or twelve years, the Association has carried the burden, not only the expense in keeping up the graveyard but the responsibility thereto. The walks, driveways, fencing and graves have been kept in a reasonably good condition all the while, and now the kind ladies are erecting a new and substantial fence around the reservation donated to the city twenty years ago for burial purposes. Thursday the carpenters came to a place where the headstone to one of the graves was about a foot outside the line on which the fence was to be erected. As the grave was at least 10 feet long, the stone was moved inside the line. The sexton, however, raised a big row over the matter, and insisted that the stone remain in its original position. The workmen appealed to the ladies of the Association and the ladies, in turn, presented the matter to the City Council Thursday night. It was the sense of that body that it would not be at all sacreligious to move the stone to the inside of the fence. The work will go on and the obstreperous sexton will have to remound the old grave. 1878 City Ordinance 1888 Decoration Day 1889 Decoration Day The Sunday Gazetteer Sunday, October 27, 1889 The ladies of the Oakwood Cemetery Improvement Association gave a supper Tuesday night in the building corner of Fannin avenue and Main street, and also served a sumptuous dinner at the same place Wednesday noon. Both feasts were well patronized and a neat sum for cemetery improvement was realized. The Sunday Gazetteer Sunday, April 26, 1891 pg. 4 PERSONAL The young lady who has charge of the cake which is to be raffled off for the benefit of Oakwood Cemetery, is still taking names. The person drawing the cake will be notified of the drawing through the local papers. The strawberry and cream festival given Tuesday evening at No. 324 W. Main Street, by the laides of the Oakwood Improvement Association, did not prove successful financially. Bad weather, muddy streets, and berries at $6 a crate were the causes. The Sunday Gazetteer Sunday, December 18, 1892 pg. 4 OAKWOOD CEMETERY FENCE The ladies of the Oakwood Cemetery Improvement Association are certainly deserving of much praise and credit from the people of Denison. For the past ten or twelve years, the Association has carried the burden, not only the expense in keeping up the graveyard but the responsibility thereto. The walks, driveways, fencing and graves have been kept in a reasonably good condition all the while, and now the kind ladies are erecting a new and substantial fence around the reservation donated to the city twenty years ago for burial purposes. Thursday the carpenters came to a place where the headstone to one of the graves was about a foot outside the line on which the fence was to be erected. As the grave was at least 10 feet long, the stone was moved inside the line. The sexton, however, raised a big row over the matter, and insisted that the stone remain in its original position. The workmen appealed to the ladies of the Association and the ladies, in turn, presented the matter to the City Council Thursday night. It was the sense of that body that it would not be at all sacreligious to move the stone to the inside of the fence. The work will go on and the obstreperous sexton will have to remound the old grave. The Sunday Gazetteer Sunday, December 24, 1893 pg. 4 DENISON REMINISCENCES A Weekly Summary of What Transpired in the Gate City 19 Years Ago June 17, 1874, to June 24 On Thursday, June 18....A force of men were at work putting a fence around Oakwood Cemetery. By some mistake a number of graves were left on the outside of the grounds laid off. A Lonely Grave, 1907 : How the Young Horse Thief Died 1917 Denison City Directory
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Benjamin F. Coleman (real estate), living at 108 W. Day Fleming G. Coleman ~ Mayor of Denison Allen L. Jones (travel agent), living at 1222 W. Gandy George W. Everett (foreman) & Guy Everett (boilermaker), both living at 427 E. Gandy 1921 Denison City Directory Allen L. Jones (real estate agent); office in the State National Bank Building "Cemetery Notes" Park and Cemetery (Chicago, IL) September 1919 pg. 175 Oakwood Cemetery Association of Denison, Texas, has been incorporated by B.F. Coleman, A.L. Jones and G.W. Everett. The Denison Press October 27, 1950 pg. 1 Following a letter from the secretary of the Oakwood Cemetery association stating that the city's agreement to furnish $50 monthly toward maintaining the cemetery had expired and requesting a renewal, the city ordered that the money continue to be sent. It is the only source of maintaining the cemetery and the property belongs to the city, it was explained by Mayor Harry Glidden.  OAKWOOD CEMETERY Susan Hawkins
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